NBA Development League to Implement Experimental In-Game Flopping Penalties

NEW YORK, Feb. 19, 2014 – The NBA Development League will begin assessing technical fouls for in-game flopping, league President Dan Reed announced today. The technical foul penalty for flopping will begin to be implemented in games played on Thursday, Feb. 20, and will continue through the completion of the 2013-14 NBA D-League season.

Application of the new experimental flopping rule will involve NBA D-League officials assessing technical fouls to any player who, in their judgment, has flopped. Officials will be required to confirm all flopping calls on instant replay monitors. The instant replay review will be conducted at the first timeout or quarter break following the flop call, and if confirmed, the technical foul will be assessed at that time. Any flopping calls made in the game’s last two minutes will be reviewed and assessed immediately.

“There isn’t a better place to experiment with NBA rules than in the NBA D-League, and we are pleased to test this experimental rule that, for the first time, creates an in-game penalty for flopping,” said Reed. “The NBA D-League is the research and development laboratory for the NBA and both leagues are always evaluating ways to further the game.”
Flopping is defined as any physical act that appears to have been intended to cause the referee to call a foul on another player. Such determinations are made if a player’s physical reaction to contact with another player is inconsistent with what would reasonably be expected given the force or direction of the contact.

The flopping penalty joins a number of basketball rules being tested in the NBA D-League this season, including the use of the international goaltending rule and shortened timeouts.

The 50-game NBA D-League regular season comes to a close on Saturday, April 5.